Mandatory swine flu vaccinations? Not in Wyoming.

Don't worry -- government agents are not going to storm your home, strap you down, and inject you with swine flu vaccine.

An email making the rounds from a liberty group claims that state legislators are thinking about forcing Wyoming residents to receive the swine flu (the H1N1 virus) vaccine.

It reads in part:

The Wyoming state Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee is considering making swine flu shots mandatory for Wyoming residents. As you probably have guessed, the swine flu is no more dangerous than regular flu but the government is excitedly trying to panic everyone.

However, a member of that committee, Dave Bonner (R-Powell), says that's not true.

"There is no consideration of mandating swine flu vaccinations," Bonner said this morning.

He said the question was raised by a representative from Kemmerer at a Sept. 9 committee meeting in Sheridan. The issue has been hotly debated elsewhere as health personnel in New York state are being required to receive flu vaccinations.

Bonner said Kathy Davison (R-Kemmerer) had heard concerns from her constituents about forced shots.

"I'm glad it did come up, because it was answered directly," said Bonner.

Officials from the Wyoming Department of Health stated that when it comes to H1N1 vaccination here, "There is nothing mandatory about it," Bonner said. He added that the program is wholly different from school vaccination programs.

In general, the US Centers for Disease Control is recommending that pregnant women, people with or caring for children younger than 6 months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, persons between 6 months and 24 years old, and those with chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems get vaccinations. The vaccine is not yet available.

The circulating email asks folks to email their legislators and ask them to make the vaccine available -- but only to those who seek it out. That is exactly the current plan, said Bonner.

"There is no place for legislation at this time in cases like this," he said, adding, "We are hoping the flu vaccine is available soon for at-risk populations."

As of Sept. 18, there were 199 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Wyoming.

As a final aside, in this writer's opinion, if the state of Wyoming tried to make residents bare their arms for shots, it seems more likely they'd bear their arms. Just a thought.